I have a bad feeling about Elite : Dangerous.

[Dominico]

I dont know where to start but im worried about "my" game. First off i understand by the nature of it its a game i share with thousands, but it seems to me to be heading the wrong way for me.

The thing i LOVE about this game is the difficulty. If you dont cheese the game with rares etc it is hard to earn money in vast amounts. Not a grind for me, a challenge. I say a grind is boring. So if i was boring enough to trqde the same route or sit in one point shooting enemies, it would be a grind but i dont. My game varies n is exciting. Damage has repercussions, ship loss too! One of my best ingame moments i lost a fight and lost money!!! Fancy that.

I loved the fact that damage meant something, that death is a big dent but these things are manageable.

You fear losing your battleship, take a smaller ship to war. The guy with the balls who turns up with their bship has an advantage.

Fear damage you can run leaving your buddies in the lurch.

Fear losing all that gold carry cheaper stuff to have a lower loss (with of course lower profit.) Or add bigger shields and shield boosters.

Instead of this attitude people have the, why cant i do it all why is fuel expensive why is repairing expensive. Even recently i have seen "battleships are too expensive for me to get in x hours. Make them a lot cheaper."

You will get these whines but imo they have to be ignored.

Ultimately the game lives or dies on its value of ships. The currency the players build. You devalue ships you devalue the game. Remove money sinks you create boredom (how many threads have you seen "i have the uber ship. I finished the game. Im bored") we need more sinks more expenses and options. Not watering down of the existing ones. Maybe im a unique creature... i love the fines, im upset when police stop me and forget to scan, or when i realise chaff stops scans so now station running is simple, or when you attacked a group of 3 enemies and 2 ignored you (fixed now i hear) i love the early game and looking at that battleship n thinking wow that will take me a while to get!! I dont think waaaah i wskt it NOW i think. I can get it this way or that in months. (You want the game over in days?)

Im kind of lost in my ramble now n i dont know how to succinctly sum up what im trying to say. Cept be careful what you wish for in havjng everything. As a nerd i remember d & d **spoiler if you play it** the dm is meant to keep players poor and desiring things. This in turn keeps them exploring adventuring. If the DM gives then the ubersword of +10 whacking. Suddenly dragons are not so tough. Suddenly the worls loses its magic. Suddenly they dont have a reason to go out anymore.

Id be interested in peoples thoughts. As ultimately though i said it was my game its not at all in reality, its yours and fds. N if the majority want arcade mode throw away battleships they will get it. Ill slink off into the abyss and wait for a hardcore space game, or just go back to playing fallout dead is dead.

Please tell me im not alone and some of you get it?

 

[Hitsuke]

I get it completely. Don't worry though, the only ships being reduced in price from what I can see will be combat focused ships like the Eagle, Viper, Vulture and FDL. Which seems reasonable.

I don't want them making the game too easy either, but bringing more parity to earning potential of professions and adjusting the cost of "certain" ships is definitely a case of balancing correctly, rather than making the game easier.

 

[Goilveig]

Ultimately the game lives or dies on its value of ships. The currency the players build. You devalue ships you devalue the game. Remove money sinks you create boredom (how many threads have you seen "i have the uber ship. I finished the game. Im bored") we need more sinks more expenses and options.

I think the problem with that logic is that, if it's true, it indicates a deeper problem with the game, in that for those players, the game itself isn't fun. Take, say, Skyrim. You can fairly quickly become so absurdly wealthy and well decked out that you won't change your equipment for the rest of the game. There's very little "progression" in the classical sense once you get the skills your character cares about up. And yet, even with a "perfect" character, the game is fun and engaging for dozens to hundreds of hours of gameplay.

Think of some of the best games in history - Ocarina of Time, Super Metroid, Super Mario Bros. 3, Portal/Portal 2, Goldeneye, Eternal Darkness, etc. They don't feature mechanics that exist purely to consume time. That's really a feature of a subset of RPGs that became the norm for MMORPGs for an obvious reason - the goal of most MMORPGs is to milk you for as much money as they can by charging subscription fees and stringing you on as long as they can. Even games that are about building up resources, armies, etc. (Europa Universalis, the SimCity style games, etc.) don't generally feature mechanics that try to artificially prolong the game. Some great games, even some RPGs like Valkyrie Profile, actually have mechanics where you can't prolong the game.

If the game is good enough and the game has enough content, you don't need a very slow gear progression to keep the game "exciting". I think in a lot of games, "grind" is a way to dress up a core game that isn't very fun. I actually think the core game of Elite: Dangerous is fun, and I don't think that making ship progression faster is somehow going to ruin the game.

 

[Rall]

I think the problem with that logic is that, if it's true, it indicates a deeper problem with the game, in that for those players, the game itself isn't fun. Take, say, Skyrim. You can fairly quickly become so absurdly wealthy and well decked out that you won't change your equipment for the rest of the game. There's very little "progression" in the classical sense once you get the skills your character cares about up. And yet, even with a "perfect" character, the game is fun and engaging for dozens to hundreds of hours of gameplay.

Think of some of the best games in history - Ocarina of Time, Super Metroid, Super Mario Bros. 3, Portal/Portal 2, Goldeneye, Eternal Darkness, etc. They don't feature mechanics that exist purely to consume time. That's really a feature of a subset of RPGs that became the norm for MMORPGs for an obvious reason - the goal of most MMORPGs is to milk you for as much money as they can by charging subscription fees and stringing you on as long as they can. Even games that are about building up resources, armies, etc. (Europa Universalis, the SimCity style games, etc.) don't generally feature mechanics that try to artificially prolong the game. Some great games, even some RPGs like Valkyrie Profile, actually have mechanics where you can't prolong the game.

If the game is good enough and the game has enough content, you don't need a very slow gear progression to keep the game "exciting". I think in a lot of games, "grind" is a way to dress up a core game that isn't very fun. I actually think the core game of Elite: Dangerous is fun, and I don't think that making ship progression faster is somehow going to ruin the game.

Let me identify myself ingame with a major faction, make causes and confilcts worth fighting for. That would sustain the game far longer than any ship progression ever would.

 

[Pharoah]

what they need to do is have ALL OUT WAR. ie. stop trading, sign up for a faction (Federation, Alliance, whatever) and go fight their battles. Do away with this stupid grinding/trading. No, join the navy and go fight the galactic wars that are sure to come. Want to keep trading and mining? go for it until it bores the crap out of you.

C'mon FD...make ED exciting. Lets have a MASSIVE galactic war. You get a salary, you get a fully kitted out Viper and for every enemy combatant (or heck, even enemy supply ship) you kill, you get a massive bounty. If you die, you pay a small fee to recover your ship (and life).

Lets have those big Star Wars type battles that you showed in the ED trailer (oh thats right...sorry, 'cinematic' trailer). Stop trying to dress up a boring game with more grinding. Lets make the end game of ED one where you try and help your faction win the Galactic war and be showered with gifts and credits and loose women.

 

[QziQza]

I dont know where to start but im worried about "my" game. First off i understand by the nature of it its a game i share with thousands, but it seems to me to be heading the wrong way for me.

The thing i LOVE about this game is the difficulty. If you dont cheese the game with rares etc it is hard to earn money in vast amounts. Not a grind for me, a challenge. I say a grind is boring. So if i was boring enough to trqde the same route or sit in one point shooting enemies, it would be a grind but i dont. My game varies n is exciting. Damage has repercussions, ship loss too! One of my best ingame moments i lost a fight and lost money!!! Fancy that.

I loved the fact that damage meant something, that death is a big dent but these things are manageable.

You fear losing your battleship, take a smaller ship to war. The guy with the balls who turns up with their bship has an advantage.

Fear damage you can run leaving your buddies in the lurch.

Fear losing all that gold carry cheaper stuff to have a lower loss (with of course lower profit.) Or add bigger shields and shield boosters.

Instead of this attitude people have the, why cant i do it all why is fuel expensive why is repairing expensive. Even recently i have seen "battleships are too expensive for me to get in x hours. Make them a lot cheaper."

You will get these whines but imo they have to be ignored.

Ultimately the game lives or dies on its value of ships. The currency the players build. You devalue ships you devalue the game. Remove money sinks you create boredom (how many threads have you seen "i have the uber ship. I finished the game. Im bored") we need more sinks more expenses and options. Not watering down of the existing ones. Maybe im a unique creature... i love the fines, im upset when police stop me and forget to scan, or when i realise chaff stops scans so now station running is simple, or when you attacked a group of 3 enemies and 2 ignored you (fixed now i hear) i love the early game and looking at that battleship n thinking wow that will take me a while to get!! I dont think waaaah i wskt it NOW i think. I can get it this way or that in months. (You want the game over in days?)

Im kind of lost in my ramble now n i dont know how to succinctly sum up what im trying to say. Cept be careful what you wish for in havjng everything. As a nerd i remember d & d **spoiler if you play it** the dm is meant to keep players poor and desiring things. This in turn keeps them exploring adventuring. If the DM gives then the ubersword of +10 whacking. Suddenly dragons are not so tough. Suddenly the worls loses its magic. Suddenly they dont have a reason to go out anymore.

Id be interested in peoples thoughts. As ultimately though i said it was my game its not at all in reality, its yours and fds. N if the majority want arcade mode throw away battleships they will get it. Ill slink off into the abyss and wait for a hardcore space game, or just go back to playing fallout dead is dead.

Please tell me im not alone and some of you get it?

You arn't alone dude, i was just saying pretty much the same thing in another thread.. as players, we all know what we want from a game, but rarely do we understand what we need from it, that is always better left to the developer.

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=124528&page=20&p=1924794&viewfull=1#post1924794

 

[Dominico]

I get it completely. Don't worry though, the only ships being reduced in price from what I can see will be combat focused ships like the Eagle, Viper, Vulture and FDL. Which seems reasonable.

I don't want them making the game too easy either, but bringing more parity to earning potential of professions and adjusting the cost of "certain" ships is definitely a case of balancing correctly, rather than making the game easier.

I hope you are right.

I think the problem with that logic is that, if it's true, it indicates a deeper problem with the game, in that for those players, the game itself isn't fun. Take, say, Skyrim. You can fairly quickly become so absurdly wealthy and well decked out that you won't change your equipment for the rest of the game. There's very little "progression" in the classical sense once you get the skills your character cares about up. And yet, even with a "perfect" character, the game is fun and engaging for dozens to hundreds of hours of gameplay.

Think of some of the

If the game is good enough and the game has enough content, you don't need a very slow gear progression to keep the game "exciting". I think in a lot of games, "grind" is a way to dress up a core game that isn't very fun. I actually think the core game of Elite: Dangerous is fun, and I don't think that making ship progression faster is somehow going to ruin the game.

I dont know i think we fundamentally disagree on whats fun which is of course natural. Everyones different. For me in skyrim i loved the early game. Getting together money. Making a sword from ore searching ruins for better weapons. But that game had no money sinks. N quite quickly money became pointless. Making your own weapon pointless and searching pretty pointless.

I actually think skyrim was an example of a great potential ruined by bad economy. Its a standard of eldar scrolls.

Now look at fallout and its very different. Repairs. Building ammo. Yes if you cheese it you get rich. But play carefully and "realistically" its a lot longer till you get money and gear "boredom".

Think how good skyrim would have been had the money mattered. It devolved into swinging swords.

The same will happen with this. N people shouldnt see a money sink as a bad thing. It could be a bar you pay for drinks and rumours. An investment in a mining company. Lots of things others have suggested. But its jot a good start to make moneybeasier to come by, repairs cheaper and ships cheaper imo.

N i agree with the gent who says more battles. But you can get them now in a form, go to community events. Yes th ey should do more battles. But making things cheap means every man and his dog will be in bships. N i dont want that. N no i dont mind being the guy in the small ship!!

 

[Stealth Gamer92]

what they need to do is have ALL OUT WAR. ie. stop trading, sign up for a faction (Federation, Alliance, whatever) and go fight their battles. Do away with this stupid grinding/trading. No, join the navy and go fight the galactic wars that are sure to come. Want to keep trading and mining? go for it until it bores the crap out of you.

C'mon FD...make ED exciting. Lets have a MASSIVE galactic war. You get a salary, you get a fully kitted out Viper and for every enemy combatant (or heck, even enemy supply ship) you kill, you get a massive bounty. If you die, you pay a small fee to recover your ship (and life).

Lets have those big Star Wars type battles that you showed in the ED trailer (oh thats right...sorry, 'cinematic' trailer). Stop trying to dress up a boring game with more grinding. Lets make the end game of ED one where you try and help your faction win the Galactic war and be showered with gifts and credits and loose women.

Actualy Traders could also join to be in supply convoys, pirates could become privateers, smuglers could become spys with a upgrade to fool IFF asto which faction their in, and miners could become new traders by making crazy profit selling metals to both sides. Just to add to your idea a little.

 

[Pharoah]

Actualy Traders could also join to be in supply convoys, pirates could become privateers, smuglers could become spys with a upgrade to fool IFF asto which faction their in, and miners could become new traders by making crazy profit selling metals to both sides. Just to add to your idea a little.

Yep all of the above. At the moment, its all about grinding, bounty hunting and whatever. Make it that there is a big picture and suddenly it changes things!

 

[Goilveig]

I dont know i think we fundamentally disagree on whats fun which is of course natural. Everyones different. For me in skyrim i loved the early game. Getting together money. Making a sword from ore searching ruins for better weapons. But that game had no money sinks. N quite quickly money became pointless. Making your own weapon pointless and searching pretty pointless.

I actually think skyrim was an example of a great potential ruined by bad economy. Its a standard of eldar scrolls.

Now look at fallout and its very different. Repairs. Building ammo. Yes if you cheese it you get rich. But play carefully and "realistically" its a lot longer till you get money and gear "boredom".

Think how good skyrim would have been had the money mattered. It devolved into swinging swords.

I do have a different opinion. I played Skyrim for the story mainly, and the character progress I really cared about was more the things the character did versus the gear or stats. I thought it was amusing that I probably had more money than the rest of Tamriel put together (yet could carry it all). I certainly never got bored because I had too good of equipment, even though I got pretty absurd sometimes. I don't usually care about game economies much, apart from I think it was Arcanum, where there was a limited total supply of gold and my thief's mission in life was to own all of it in the entire game universe.

I felt Skyrim was somewhat like Chrono Trigger - your characters got better as things happened, but the focus was the story, not in "working" to progress your character. I also think it's funny you mention D&D - I play Pathfinder once a week, and some of the adventure paths practically vomit money on your character. Things are generally hard because they give you high CR encounters or try to make you choose between competing objectives, not because you can't afford extremely good gear.

But making things cheap means every man and his dog will be in bships.

Well, right now there's nothing even close to a player-piloted battleship. The closest the game has to a battleship is the Farragut, and players won't be flying one of those anytime soon. I think the real answer to people gravitating towards the same few ships is to give different ships different niches, even within the broader category of combat, trade, etc. ships.

 

[waimser]

Agree 100% with OP.

The way all the pricing was before was absolutely fine. Without money sinks and without fear of having to pay for the damage done to your big ship, there is nothing left but griefing and boredom.

FD is too busy trying to please the couple dozen people who are very loudly cryin on the forums. All those people have no Idea what it takes to keep an MMO an axciting place to be for years on end. If they start taking away all the danger, they take away the fun as well. We do not want people crusing around in battleships that cost nothing to take care of. We want those people to have to make the coice weather they fight or run to save costs. If every Anaconda is free to stay in battle to the bitter end without having to spen millions to repair then any fight they are involved in just becomes a slug fest rather than a tactical mind game.

Im just angry that this game that was so fantastic, is very fast becoming carebear heaven because if a crazy minority of people who have too much time on thier hands so they come here to cry instead of spending thier time in the game.

 

[CMDR Zarniwoob]

I totally agree with OP.

Getting the biggest ship is not the most important thing in the game... but if this is the only goal for a player, he wants to achieve.. he has to do the "grinding"... that is no fun... wrong game.

If you are willing to "learn" the game... you will soon find out, what is about and will have a lot of fun. Unfortunatly, it seems a lot of player are not willing to do that! So I am also afraid (like OP), this will ruin my game.

Think of a triathlon.... you will not have fun with it, if you are only good in swimming!

 

[Roybe]

Yep all of the above. At the moment, its all about grinding, bounty hunting and whatever. Make it that there is a big picture and suddenly it changes things!

My belief has always held that the ships, although important, are secondary to the game. The game itself will reside with the groups that figure out how to play with the background sim. As a sandbox, many feel that one must 'build' something. You ask for a 'big picture'..and I wonder if you are looking for more of a theme park. The big picture I, and many playing in the Lugh system have sought, is to create a story line of our own while living within the realm of the larger galactic powers. Something that involves the galactic citizenry. Offering all players within this vast ecosystem things to strive for and win or lose at. If you want to create something in the game, create a story, build a reason for your system to grow, get the community involved, and play the game.

I understand the frustration of grinding, but it is a means to an end in this game. It allows you to fly what you truly need, while you chase what you desire. While you chase your desire, bring your current ship to places like Lugh and see what many in the community are building.

 

[Stealth Gamer92]

Yep all of the above. At the moment, its all about grinding, bounty hunting and whatever. Make it that there is a big picture and suddenly it changes things!

As long as war is temporary and spaced apart it could be a way to give combat players temporary income boost from time to time.

 

[Pharoah]

As long as war is temporary and spaced apart it could be a way to give combat players temporary income boost from time to time.

This. We don't have to turn ED into Call of Duty, but having a galactic war going on results in bigger objectives. Thats not to say you still can't do your own thing...go for it, the Milky Way is huge...but for those of us that can't or don't want to create our own storylines...give us something. The game/galaxy is big enough to accommodate all of this and more.

 

[Stealth Gamer92]

This. We don't have to turn ED into Call of Duty, but having a galactic war going on results in bigger objectives. Thats not to say you still can't do your own thing...go for it, the Milky Way is huge...but for those of us that can't or don't want to create our own storylines...give us something. The game/galaxy is big enough to accommodate all of this and more.

Make sure you point this out in your post in the 1.3 suggestion thread if you haven't already, lest you get mauled due to misunderstandings.

 

[Pharoah]

Make sure you point this out in your post in the 1.3 suggestion thread if you haven't already, lest you get mauled due to misunderstandings.

lol yeah good point mate. I thought it was more appropriate to put it in there after posting here.

 

[Stealth Gamer92]

lol yeah good point mate. I thought it was more appropriate to put it in there after posting here.

I meant the "definitely not wanting to turn ED into CoD" part.

 

[Carmaki]

I dont know where to start but im worried about "my" game. First off i understand by the nature of it its a game i share with thousands, but it seems to me to be heading the wrong way for me.

The thing i LOVE about this game is the difficulty. If you dont cheese the game with rares etc it is hard to earn money in vast amounts. Not a grind for me, a challenge. I say a grind is boring. So if i was boring enough to trqde the same route or sit in one point shooting enemies, it would be a grind but i dont. My game varies n is exciting. Damage has repercussions, ship loss too! One of my best ingame moments i lost a fight and lost money!!! Fancy that.

I loved the fact that damage meant something, that death is a big dent but these things are manageable.

You fear losing your battleship, take a smaller ship to war. The guy with the balls who turns up with their bship has an advantage.

Fear damage you can run leaving your buddies in the lurch.

Fear losing all that gold carry cheaper stuff to have a lower loss (with of course lower profit.) Or add bigger shields and shield boosters.

Instead of this attitude people have the, why cant i do it all why is fuel expensive why is repairing expensive. Even recently i have seen "battleships are too expensive for me to get in x hours. Make them a lot cheaper."

You will get these whines but imo they have to be ignored.

Ultimately the game lives or dies on its value of ships. The currency the players build. You devalue ships you devalue the game. Remove money sinks you create boredom (how many threads have you seen "i have the uber ship. I finished the game. Im bored") we need more sinks more expenses and options. Not watering down of the existing ones. Maybe im a unique creature... i love the fines, im upset when police stop me and forget to scan, or when i realise chaff stops scans so now station running is simple, or when you attacked a group of 3 enemies and 2 ignored you (fixed now i hear) i love the early game and looking at that battleship n thinking wow that will take me a while to get!! I dont think waaaah i wskt it NOW i think. I can get it this way or that in months. (You want the game over in days?)

Im kind of lost in my ramble now n i dont know how to succinctly sum up what im trying to say. Cept be careful what you wish for in havjng everything. As a nerd i remember d & d **spoiler if you play it** the dm is meant to keep players poor and desiring things. This in turn keeps them exploring adventuring. If the DM gives then the ubersword of +10 whacking. Suddenly dragons are not so tough. Suddenly the worls loses its magic. Suddenly they dont have a reason to go out anymore.

Id be interested in peoples thoughts. As ultimately though i said it was my game its not at all in reality, its yours and fds. N if the majority want arcade mode throw away battleships they will get it. Ill slink off into the abyss and wait for a hardcore space game, or just go back to playing fallout dead is dead.

Please tell me im not alone and some of you get it?

I'm gonna be the jerk in this thread and say that I disagree vehemently.

I'm confused about how another player getting a new ship a little faster than originally intended, somehow, ruins your game. Is it because they won't respect it as much? If that's the case, then that's their problem.

I remember when I first started playing this game, I played it a lot. It took me about four days of solid play to finally graduate out of my sidewinder and into Adder after I got lucky with a couple of big bounties. After that, I did some mining (which I didn't enjoy), some trading (which made me want to gouge my eyes out), but I really enjoyed combat the most so I raised enough money to buy a viper. My Viper is currently my favorite ship. I played with it for weeks, enjoying the combat, blowing up pirates, and cruising the stars like mutha' fugga' Boba Fett. I got upgraded as far as I could take it, and it's a beautiful little machine. I still fly it right now. But after I got it upgraded all the way, I found myself wanting a new ship. One with bigger guns, more shields, and style. However, combat ships are few and far between (Eagle and Viper during 1.1), and I was going to have to go Multipurpose... The Cobra was more of a side-grade in my opinion. Nice, but not as maneuverable and the shield isn't the toughest either. So, I could either go Clipper, or Python. I love the look of the Python, so that's what I decided to aim for. I did the math, and it would take me 280 hours of bounty hunting in order to afford the base model, not to mention the upgrades. I don't, and still don't, have time for that. So, unfortunately, I had to resort to trading. Using my bounty money, I bought a T6 and started doing some commodity trading. After a few days, I wanted to uninstall the game and write FD a nasty letter... Instead, I did more research and found out that the t6 makes a better rare trade hauler than a commodity trader. So, I looked up a pretty basic rare route and went to work.

Every day for about four to five days, I would run this route in my little T6. Sitting at starports, waiting for the items to pop, buying them, and moving on to the next one. It was lucrative, but boring. After earning about 10 mil, I was beyond bored. I wanted to get back into combat again, but the T6 isn't a combat ship and I can't store it and just fly with an Eagle because the cargo hold can't hold 70+ cargo. So, I did something stupid... I bought an Asp. Four small hardpoints, two mediums, decent shields, decent maneuverability, a good cargo hold (good enough for rare runs, anyway), and FSD distance that's comparable to the T6. I bought it foolishly thinking that I would be able to do some combat while I waited for rares to repop... Naturally, I waited to get some of the stuff upgraded first before I took it into a combat zone, I'm not stupid. After the upgrades, I took to a low intensity conflict area to get some fun in while I was waiting for some glue to pop in, and you know what I found out? The Asp cost an arm and a leg to fix. I actually lost money! Needless to say, I didn't use the Asp in combat anymore. All I ended up doing with it is jumping from point to point, buying rares, and doing the same damn thing over and over... Last week, I finally hit my breaking point. I was nowhere near my goal of 56mil, and I had it with trading. It was boring, monotonous, and it made me dread the thing that got me into this game to begin with, combat because the damn ship was so expensive to fix whenever I got interdicted by a clipper or something bigger (which happened a lot more than I care to admit).

But it was going to be okay... 1.2 was coming. Two new combat oriented ships. Surely, they would be in a sane price range, and I had quite a bit of money from my rare-trading, so I could buy one, or maybe both of them, right...? When the patch hit and I saw the prices of the Vulture and FDL, I was just in shock. I couldn't believe it, I didn't want to believe it! Surely they weren't that out of touch. But the screen shots didn't lie. Either I was going to have to go back to trading, or I was going to have to just write off my time spent in game as a total waste. Tuesday evening, I was ready to throw in the towel, but I logged on one final time to at least experience Wings... And it was fun. I talked to a lot of people, many of them like me, who are stuck in their Vipers and Cobras; wanting to try other ships, but unable to because of the credit gate. Today, I wasn't going to play the game, and instead I was going to formulate a way to try and get my frustrations across to FD without coming off like a jerk (I've got a good idea, too. I'm holding onto it, though), but then I saw the Dev announcement and it gave me pause.

They actually listened. This time I was shocked, but in a good way. I'm used to companies not listening to me after they have my money, so this was a shock to my system. I was excited again... Sure, I would have to wait a few days, but maybe then I could buy one of the new ships and enjoy blowing stuff up with it! Happy days! Then, they started talking about making other professions more in-line with trading for making money, which is even better. Do I think they're going to do that? I'm cautiously optimistic, lets put it that way.

Back onto the subject at hand, I'm gonna use your DnD analogy. I'm a DM. I make the campaigns, I place the loot, I make the monsters, write up NPC, the whole nine yards. Prebuilt adventures are for wusses. When I'm making a game, I have to motivate my players. Why would they want to venture into a dungeon full of goblins looking to eat their faces? Simple. You lure them with loot, story, intrigue, combat, and excitement. I get what you're saying about the +10 sword of whacking, because a lot of new DMs make the mistake of just passing out major magic items from the get go, and the players get bored because they already have the best thing! But you know what else is just as bad? Making it too hard to get that better sword, or that better suit of armor. Players get frustrated, irritated, and the result is the same... Unengaged players. How do I know? I've fallen both traps.

You're welcome to your opinion, and I hope you understand where I'm coming from when I tell you mine: I don't think lowering the prices on a few combat ships is going to 'ruin' the game.

 

[Mephane]

I'm gonna be the jerk in this thread and say that I disagree vehemently.

I'm confused about how another player getting a new ship a little faster than originally intended, somehow, ruins your game. Is it because they won't respect it as much? If that's the case, then that's their problem.

It's not about whether other players get something faster, but about stuff being priced under the assumption that you do the one most profitable activity in the game. It is obvious that a 100m price for an FDL never considered players who are, for example, only into bounty hunting, but was aimed at those who have >100m disposable cash, and they indeed are the traders. It doesn't ruin someone's game that another player got the same ship faster, but it does indeed ruin your game when the very ships that are appropriate for your gameplay style are only realistically attainable by not engaging in that gameplay.

Just imagine the situation reversed, with bounty hunting fetching up to 10m/h per hour and trading maxing out at maybe 500k/h, the only way to get one of the big freighters would be to first get a fighter ship and kill hundreds or thousands of pirates. And even then with that big freighter you'd make only a fraction of the money than you could make fighting.